EMPLOYING PHOTOVOICE TO MAP ADOLESCENT LIFE TRAJECTORIES AMID MATERNAL YOUNG-ONSET DEMENTIA: A CASE STUDY

Abstract The impact of parental dementia on family dynamics and roles can be substantial, presenting notable challenges for their offspring. Research concerning the life trajectory of adolescents having parents diagnosed with Young-Onset Dementia (YOD) remains limited. This study employs a combination of semi-structured interviews and photovoice through life course lens to delve into the experiences of an adolescent (Alice), exploring how her mother’s condition shapes her life journey and providing novel insights for the development of supportive services. Over a three-month period, Alice captures daily-life moments through photography and selects meaningful photos for sharing. Regular bi-weekly sessions are dedicated to photo-sharing, during which these chosen photos are regarded as pivotal subjects for in-depth exploration in subsequent interview sessions. This approach facilitates gaining insight into her life experience from a nuanced perspective. Thematic analysis reveals four key themes: Firstly, the adaptation of her future ambitions in response to her mother’s condition and increased family responsibilities, resulting in a curtailment of her educational and career prospects; secondly, building a stronger connection with her father and collaborating in shouldering responsibilities. Thirdly, her mother’s prolonged absence during critical phases of personal development impacts her understanding of interpersonal interactions and relationships, prompting a pressing need to establish empathetic connections with others; and lastly, the emergence of Alice’s distinct self-identity and resilience shaped by her unique experiences. These findings underscore the importance of establishing a family-centered support system that addresses the emotional, social, and educational challenges faced by adolescents like Alice as they navigate complex family circumstances.

HaDarom, Israel, 2. Fontys University of Applied Science, Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands Incorporating digital technologies in healthcare can potentially improve the quality and accessibility of older persons' care.However, ageist attitudes among healthcare professionals can lead to discrimination in treatment decisions and deprive older patients of technology-based treatment.This study explores whether technology-specific ageism influenced physiotherapists' decisions to use technology-based healthcare with older patients.Seventy-eight physiotherapists in Luxembourg filled out an online survey.Technologyspecific ageism was measured by the Attitudes Towards Older Adults Using Technology (ATOAUT-11) scale.Additional measures included the Expectations Regarding Aging scale, attitudes towards technology use in the work environment, and whether physiotherapists had not offered technologybased treatment in the past because of a patient's age.Thirtyone percent of the participants reported that they had not offered technology-based treatment to a patient in the past because of the patient's older age.Importantly, using logistic regression, it was found that higher levels of technologyspecific ageism predicted not offering technology-based treatment, such that participants with more negative attitudes (1 standard deviation) were two times more likely not to offer treatment.Positive attitudes toward using technology in the work environment were also found to be a significant predictor.All other characteristics (gender, age, work experience, and percentage of patients over 50) did not predict not offering treatment.This study provides initial evidence that technology-specific ageism may lead to discrimination and deprive older persons of receiving optimal treatment.More research is needed to identify the magnitude of ageism in using technology-based treatment in healthcare and develop interventions to mitigate it.To examine the age-specific prevalence, risk factors, and magnitude of the association between cognitive frailty and all-cause mortality in Chinese middle-aged and older adults.We used baseline (2011) and follow-up waves (2013, 2015, and 2018) data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).The age group was categorized as middle-aged, old, and very old.Factors associated with cognitive frailty and the associations between cognitive frailty statuses and mortality were examined using multinomial logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models, respectively.Totally 7947 participants were included in this study, and the overall prevalence of cognitive frailty was 12% (middle-aged, 11%; old, 10%; very old, 26%; P< 0.0001).Cognitive frailty was independently associated with rural residential status, long sleep duration, lack of social participation, depressive symptoms, and multimorbidity among all the age groups.Over the 7-year follow-up, participants with cognitive frailty were at a higher risk for allcause mortality than the robust group (HR 1.70, 95%CI 1.12-2.57for the middle-aged group, HR 1.70, 95%CI 1.02-2.84for the old group, and HR 2.06, 95%CI 1.17-3.65 for the very old group).Pre-cognitive frailty was associated with a higher mortality risk in the middle-aged group only (HR 1.34,.The prevalence of cognitive frailty in middle-aged adults was comparable with that in the old group.Cognitive frailty, a significant risk factor for mortality, was associated with multiple factors in middle-aged and older adults, calling for integrated cognitive frailty prevention strategies.Noticeably, pre-cognitive frailty in middleaged people increases mortality risk and requires special attention.

LATE BREAKING: ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE INCLUDING ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE RELATED DEMENTIAS III
Abstract citation ID: igad104.3722

EMPLOYING PHOTOVOICE TO MAP ADOLESCENT LIFE TRAJECTORIES AMID MATERNAL YOUNG-ONSET DEMENTIA: A CASE STUDY
Xueting Tang 1 , Junqiao Wang 1 , Bei Wu 2 , Xiaoyan Cui 1 , and Jing Wang 3 , 1. Fudan University, Shanghai, Shanghai, China (People's Republic), 2. New York University, New York City, New York, United States, 3. University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire, United States The impact of parental dementia on family dynamics and roles can be substantial, presenting notable challenges for their offspring.Research concerning the life trajectory of adolescents having parents diagnosed with Young-Onset Dementia (YOD) remains limited.This study employs a combination of semi-structured interviews and photovoice through life course lens to delve into the experiences of an adolescent (Alice), exploring how her mother's condition shapes her life journey and providing novel insights for the development of supportive services.Over a three-month period, Alice captures daily-life moments through photography and selects meaningful photos for sharing.Regular bi-weekly sessions are dedicated to photo-sharing, during which these chosen photos are regarded as pivotal subjects for in-depth exploration in subsequent interview sessions.This approach facilitates gaining insight into her life experience from a nuanced perspective.Thematic analysis reveals four key themes: Firstly, the adaptation of her future ambitions in response to her mother's condition and increased family responsibilities, resulting in a curtailment of her educational and career prospects; secondly, building a stronger connection with her father and collaborating in shouldering responsibilities.Thirdly, her mother's prolonged absence during critical phases of personal development impacts her understanding of interpersonal interactions and relationships, prompting a pressing need to establish empathetic connections with others; and lastly, the emergence of Alice's distinct self-identity and resilience shaped by her unique experiences.These findings underscore the importance of establishing a family-centered support system that addresses the emotional, social, and educational challenges faced by adolescents like Alice as they navigate complex family circumstances.

METABOLOMIC PROFILES OF DEMENTIA RISK AND MOBILITY DECLINE IN A BIRACIAL COHORT OF OLDER ADULTS
Abstract citation ID: igad104.3724

SOCIAL BRIDGING NETWORKS AND COGNITIVE AGING AMONG OLDER ADULTS: ORIGINS IN SOCIAL CONTEXTS, ROLES, AND ACTIVITIES Brea Perry, Siyun Peng, and Anne Krendl, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States
There is a strong link between social connectedness and cognitive aging, with recent research pointing to social bridging being a primary underlying mechanism.Social bridging may provide cognitive enrichment through interactions with expansive, heterogeneous, and loosely interconnected social networks of weaker, peripheral ties.Drawing on egocentric social network data and cognitive assessments of 436 older adults from the Social Networks and Alzheimer's Disease (SNAD) study, this paper explores where social bridging networks come from.We used multivariate regression to examine whether a latent social bridging factor comprised of six structural variables (network size, density, effective size, diversity, strength of weakest tie, and sole bridging status) was associated with cognitive function and social conditions.Results indicate that social bridging is significantly associated with global cognitive function (B= 0.19; p<.0001), verbal memory (B=0.26; p<.0001), and episodic memory (B=0.21;p<.0001), consistent with prior studies.Older adults who are women (b=0.40;p<.001) and have more years of education (b=0.05;p<.05) have more access to social bridging.Among community and housing characteristics, only perceived community integration is significantly correlated with higher bridging (b=0.22;p<.05).With respect to social roles, being currently married (b=0.39;p<.001) and being a volunteer (b=0.58;p<.0001) were positively associated with bridging, while being a veteran predicted lower bridging (b=-0.86;p<.0001).Among indicators of social engagement, only number of contacts in one's phone (in 100's) was associated with bridging (b=.16; p<.0001).Findings provide insight into social roles and activities that can be leveraged to expand bridging and improve cognitive aging outcomes.
Abstract citation ID: igad104.3725Objectives: Identifying and meeting the spiritual needs of older adults is a central component of holistic service provision.China has more older adults than any other nation, yet a paucity of research exists on the spiritual needs of Chinese older adults.The purpose of this study was to identify: 1) common spiritual needs among Chinese nursing home residents, including the needs of residents with dementia, 2) the process staff use to identify these needs when residents are unable to verbalize them, and 3) the strategies staff use implement to meet the identified needs.Methods: To perform this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 administrators of faith-based nursing homes, representing facilities that may be disproportionately likely to have residents with dementia.The nursing homes spanned 14 Chinese provinces.Interviews were conducted in the study participants' native language, translated into English, and analyzed using a constant comparative methodology to identify themes.Results: Analysis produced five interrelated themes regarding older adults' spiritual needs, which included the need to: express their faith, receive love and care, have contact with their children, interact with others, and participate in activities.Regarding For residents with dementia who are unable to verbalize their concerns, staff used two strategies to identify spiritual needs: careful observation, and communication with family members.To address the identified